New Mothers Come Under Sleep-Mental Health Study

A researcher in New Zealand is investigating the link between postpartum depression and sleep deprivation, reports Indian Newslink.

Ms Ladyman said that women who have previously suffered depression are twice as likely to relapse during pregnancy and the risk could be further increased if their sleep is disrupted. Sleep disruption is almost unavoidable due to the enormous changes that pregnancy brings.

“The relationship between poor sleep and depression is two-directional – poor sleep increases the risk of depression and depression is associated with poor sleep. Our study is specifically looking at whether improving sleep in pregnancy can prevent a reoccurrence of depression for at risk women.

“We want to give women important, evidence-based information about sleep, including sleep changes that occur during pregnancy. Importantly, we provide personal feedback on sleep patterns and behaviours, then talk through various strategies and ideas to try and improve their sleep,” she said.